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Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow and the Chinese Revolution - KU ...

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gone to Russia to study at <strong>KU</strong>TV, <strong>in</strong> 1925 hundreds of Ch<strong>in</strong>ese began<br />

to flock to Russia to study at <strong>Sun</strong> <strong>Yat</strong>-<strong>sen</strong> <strong>University</strong>.<br />

However, <strong>the</strong> open<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>Sun</strong> <strong>Yat</strong>-<strong>sen</strong> <strong>University</strong> brought more than<br />

a quantitative change for Ch<strong>in</strong>ese students. While students from<br />

Europe <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States brought <strong>the</strong>ir class notes <strong>and</strong> books conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />

"science" <strong>and</strong> "democracy" home with <strong>the</strong>m, <strong>and</strong> dreams, perhaps,<br />

those who studied <strong>in</strong> Russia brought back dreams of a new Ch<strong>in</strong>a<br />

plus political programs to realize <strong>the</strong>m <strong>and</strong> party affiliations to support<br />

<strong>the</strong>m. # And <strong>the</strong>se students who had studied <strong>in</strong> Russia ultimately<br />

played a large part <strong>in</strong> shap<strong>in</strong>g Ch<strong>in</strong>a's dest<strong>in</strong>y.<br />

DR. SUN'S DEATH AND BORODIN'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FOUNDING<br />

OF SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY<br />

On November 13, 1924, Dr. <strong>Sun</strong> <strong>Yat</strong>-<strong>sen</strong>, with a group of n<strong>in</strong>eteen<br />

persons <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Madame <strong>Sun</strong> <strong>and</strong> Wang Ch<strong>in</strong>g-wei, left Canton for<br />

Pek<strong>in</strong>g. The purpose of this nor<strong>the</strong>rn trip was <strong>the</strong> realization of <strong>Sun</strong>'s<br />

lofty aspiration of "<strong>the</strong> regeneration of Ch<strong>in</strong>a." This regeneration was<br />

to take place through consultation with Generals Tuan Ch'i-jui <strong>and</strong><br />

Chang Tso-l<strong>in</strong>. Unfortunately, Dr. <strong>Sun</strong> <strong>and</strong> his mission did not reach<br />

Pek<strong>in</strong>g until December 31, as Dr. <strong>Sun</strong> was deta<strong>in</strong>ed at Tients<strong>in</strong> for<br />

almost a month with a recurrence of his liver trouble.<br />

At that time I was a student at <strong>the</strong> National <strong>University</strong> of Law <strong>and</strong><br />

Political Science (kuo-li fa chen ta-hsueh) <strong>in</strong> Pek<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> I vividly<br />

remember Dr. <strong>Sun</strong>'s arrival. Two days before his arrival it snowed<br />

heavily <strong>in</strong> Pek<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> all of <strong>the</strong> roads were frozen <strong>and</strong> quite treacherous.<br />

In addition, <strong>the</strong> temperature had fallen below zero. Yet, <strong>in</strong> spite<br />

of <strong>the</strong> unfavorable wea<strong>the</strong>r, some one hundred thous<strong>and</strong> persons<br />

ga<strong>the</strong>red at Pek<strong>in</strong>g's Front Gate Station to welcome Dr. <strong>Sun</strong>. A b<strong>and</strong><br />

from National Pek<strong>in</strong>g Institute of Arts started to play Ch<strong>in</strong>ese music<br />

as Dr. <strong>Sun</strong> stepped off his special tra<strong>in</strong>, <strong>and</strong> thous<strong>and</strong>s of people<br />

shouted with excitement at <strong>the</strong> prospect of see<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> hear<strong>in</strong>g him.<br />

But Dr. <strong>Sun</strong> was gravely ill; <strong>and</strong> he simply nodded to <strong>the</strong> welcom<strong>in</strong>g<br />

crowd, stepped <strong>in</strong>to his car, <strong>and</strong> went directly to <strong>the</strong> Hotel Pek<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

On <strong>the</strong> even<strong>in</strong>g of Dr. <strong>Sun</strong>'s arrival a lantern march was held. We<br />

* For security reasons, when <strong>the</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>ese students crossed <strong>the</strong> border between Ch<strong>in</strong>a <strong>and</strong><br />

Russia, Russian <strong>in</strong>telligence personnel searched <strong>the</strong>m <strong>and</strong> stripped <strong>the</strong>m of <strong>the</strong>ir books <strong>and</strong><br />

class notes.<br />

12

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